Relax in pure mineral water sourced from a natural hot spring, 667 meters below the earth’s surface. Swim inside authentic looking caves and enjoy your tropical paradise by choosing a pool between 32 to 41 degrees, all surrounded by hibiscus flowers. Spoil yourself with a spa treatment.
We chose the short stay combo which includes a welcome cocktail, anti-pasto platter to share and a 30 minute massage, which left me so relaxed it was hard to ever leave this magical place!
Rotorua, famous for it’s geo-thermal activity it offers a great way to enjoy your lunch, a steam-box one! This is when food is set over a steam-vent in the ground until the food inside is cooked.
We tried this unusual lunch at Te Puia. The morning began with the guide taking us to a kitchen area where you get to make up you own lunch adding and choosing a selection of food such as chicken, vegetables and stuffing then labelling with your name once sealed. All the boxes were added to a large container which were then placed over a pipping hot steam-vent. 2 hours later it’s ready!
The steam makes the meat very tender and all the juices make the lunch very tasty, as the natural sulphur acts as a seasoning with no odd smells or tastes from the steam.
As I’m not a massive Lord of the Rings fan, I wasn’t sure how I would find this tour. Would I be surrounded by hard core fans? Well surprisingly most of the people on the tour hadn’t read the books or even watched the films! I had thankfully at least done the latter. As my favourite part of the films is the Shire, I was amazed by how realistic the hobbit homes were and attention to detail such as the fake moss on the fences and realistic plastic vegetables that looked good enough to eat. The oak tree above Bag Ends is almost not real, which had to have ever leaf sewn on by hand!!
The guided tour provides the right balance of interesting facts about the films, without becoming overwhelming. The drink of cider at the Green Dragon pub at the end, was the perfect way to conclude this great day out whilst proving another opportunity to admire more hobbit themed items.
Bay of Islands
I highly recommend camping at the Beachside holiday park if you have transport, as its just outside of Paihia. We got to camp right next to the sea and most importantly, use the free unlimited WiFi! Chill out with a drink, as you watch the tide slowly come in, whilst cooking your food on the camping stove outside. Good times!
After a quick breakfast of blueberry pancakes by the sea, head into town and book your ferry tickers at the tourist information centre. You can take a short ferry ride to Urupukapuka Island, swim in the sea and walk up a short hill to enjoy a 360 panoramic views of the islands.
White island – walk on a live volcano!
For an unforgettable experience, step foot onto New Zealand’s most active cone volcano, White Island in the Bay of Plenty. We booked our tour through White Island tours the only boat charter to the island. Book your slot in advance, as places go quickly and are weather dependant. We had to rebook our trip sadly, due to some bad storms so be warned as you may need to rearrange.
As the boat approaches this strange-looking island, we were told that it has been in a nearly continuous stage of smoking since it was discovered by James Cook in 1769. Gas masks and sweets are given out as the sulphur near some of the steam-vents can cause throat irritations.
The inner part of the island reminded me of the lunar landscape – stark and lifeless. You get the opportunity to taste the islands only source of water which contains so many minerals that it almost tastes citrusy. Very strange!
The public gardens are free to visit and are a maze of interesting small gardens based on locations around the world. Each garden is created with the plants and architecture from that country so a free way to travel around the world!
From the England rose garden including a fortress, through to Italian Renaissance gardens this place is great to explore for all ages. There is so much to see here and I was amazed that there was no entrance fee due to the scale and work that undertaken.
Hot water beach, Kawhia
Most people think of the hot water beach in the Coromandel but did you know there is another one? This way is far away from the crowds and buses and the locals like to keep it a secret. It’s located in Kawhia, the Waikato region of New Zealand. Bring a spade and head out at low-tide and start digging your hole in front of the poles on the beach. We stayed for a few hours chilling in our very own hot pool watching the tide slowly come in, what a great experience and no crowds!
Glowworm caves – Waitomo
We choose to see these incredible glowworms by first listening to a guide before embarking on a relaxing smooth, slow boat ride looking up at them in the dark caves. These little creatures give off a strong blue light that look as bright as the stars shining in the sky.
The other way to see glowworms – the crazy, wet and wild Black Labyrinth tour! This involves putting on a wet suit, grabbing a rubber ring and jumping backwards off a waterfall in very dark caves! Not for the faint hearted but great fun if you want an adventure and a chance to meet other fun seeking travellers!
Tongariro Crossing
This hike has been called the best day hike in New Zealand according to the tourism board and after completing it, I would have to agree!
This is a tough hike that took 6 hours to complete, plus another 2 hours to summit Mount Tongariro. The first section, is a steep climb of endless steps that really gets the heart pumping but the views of Mount Ngauruhoe aka Mount Doom for those Lord of the Rings fans, really are well worth it. Make sure you have comfortable hiking boots and plenty of water and snacks as you’re really going to need them!
Cape Reinga, 90 mile beach and sandboarding
We booked a day tour through a company called ‘Sand Safaris‘ in order to hit all of the highlights of the northest tip of New Zealand. They take small groups onto 90 mile beach and drive a small coach the length of it. Surprisingly this beach is actually only 55 miles long despite its name due to early settlers incorrectly estimating the distance with horses.
During this tour you get the opportunity to try out sandboarding which is so much fun, as long as you can hang on for the ride! At Cape Reinga Lighthouse, the two different seas meet, the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean and you can see the line of where they crash into each other. This place is very significant for the Maori people who believe their soul leaves New Zealand via this point as it journeys on.